Matryoshka
by ThatBritishWannaBe
Summary: "Layer after layer after layer. How long does it take to the center? The juicy bottom? The very core of your existence? I want to taste it, hear it- I want to be the one to destroy and have it all to myself. So tell me, how long must I wait?"
1. His Butler, Meddling

**Author's note:** Idea occurred to me when understanding the true value of the Queen's piece on the chess board. Relating it Black Butler and so it was born. I'll update Demon's Keeper (for those of you who read it) later on. Woot! Second favorite pairing! Heh, I also wanted to write Sebastian as the true demon he was.

**Title: **His Butler, Meddling

**Summary**: In which Sebastian sees the true reason of Elizabeth's being as a whole, and decides to play around a bit.

**Rating:** T, just because there is nothing K or K+ about this, and the amount of swearing someone does at the end.

**Side note: **Takes place during chapter 14 of the manga; when Aunt Frances comes to visit. Sebastian's POV, so it will not say 'Ciel' directly, or bocchan (I do not believe in wapanese), since it is improper for a butler to talk/greet with his owner in such an informal way, thus will use indirect description.

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><p><em>"...Yet the Queen is the most valuable and important piece and the whole outcome can depend upon how successfully she plays her role." - Alexander Kotov<em>

_"Inexperienced players have a fear of this piece (the knight), which seems to them enigmatic, mysterious, and astonishing in its power. We must admit that it has remarkable characteristics which compel respect and occasionally surprise the most wary players." - Eugene Znosko-Borowski_

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><p>Although it was nothing life-changing, it was a peculiar day that was certainly worth remembering.<p>

As per usual, the demon butler headed towards his young master's bedroom to wake him. He entered the door rolling a cart full of food, and proceeded to open the curtains. When he heard shuffling coming from the big bed, and could only predict the child was having nightmares. Seeing as there was no point for letting this show continue on, Sebastian began to wake his young master, but only to be greeted with a pistol to his forehead. He stepped back as the boy ordered him not to touch him so freely, and gave his small trademark smile- smirk if you prefer. The tall man continued on to introduce the morning's tea which had been Assam Black with a mixture a milk; he added on saying that warm milk was the best for calming someone down in the morning especially after a nightmare.

When the boy was sitting up enough, Sebastian grabbed the source of his nightmares, and sighed; he had been reading Edgar Allen Poe before sleeping again. Upon commenting his young master's bad habit, he quickly earned himself a scold. Nevertheless, he went on to announce the day's schedule, but could not finish anything after stating the arrival of Marchioness Middleford and the Lady Elizabeth for the young boy began to go into panic. When questioning his sudden change in his demeanor, Sebastian was scolded yet again; after all, how foolish he was to forget that the Marchioness was one _hell _of a noble lady. The demon sighed once again, and _tried_ to change his moving master seeing as how the carriage already pulled up. He was successful...enough to look presentable in front of guest anyhow.

This time, it was the young master's turn to get scolded by his dearest aunt, but quickly got hugged by his dearest fiance. The tall demon had to let a small chuckle; his young master's love life was quite the entertainment. Sebastian, keeping his butler act up, bowed to the Marchioness, but he what did not expect was the sudden death glare she was sending him nor the insult she spatted out about his face. Above all, however, he was completely thrown off guard when the human decided to forcefully comb back his fringes; if she were not the boy's aunt, she would've been lying on the ground with her throat open by the now. The demon caught the quick apologizing glance that the Lady Elizabeth sent both him and the young master; the fact that she was Lady Marchioness' daughter somewhat disturbed him.

After accepting yet another insult from her, Sebastian decided to help her with the inspection of the manor. Seeing how humans were such a predictable species, the butler in disguise informed his master that he made preparations from the night before, so there was nothing to worry about. That is, if you did not hire the three imbeciles Maylene, Bardroy, and Finnian. He couldn't understand how an experimented boy actually thought you could just pull out all the flowers when he felt like it, how an assassin with eyesight better than the best made scope could be completely clumsy, or how a soldier for the British army did not know that he couldn't cook with explosives. The red-eyed man began to express doubt if he even chose the right people for the job. Nevertheless, they were good at protecting the manor even if they did end up destroying half of it. Being as he had no other option, he chose to show the Marchioness the stable despite it being a tad inappropriate for ladies. Luckily, he was able to impress the elder blonde with the horse he had bought for the young master. Apparently, upon doing so, it had sparked a competition between his young master and the Marchioness, a hunting one at that.

When everything was said and done, the hunting game started rather quickly, and the boy's aunt already had the lead. His young master, after a quick dispute with the Lady Elizabeth, also took off. How interesting the results would be...

"It's a relief," the young girl stated, pulling him out of his thoughts, "Ciel is acting like his old self again. Since he was so close to Madame Red, I was worried." Now Sebastian was completely listening the words of the human beside him.

"I don't want Ciel to have anymore bad memories. That's why I do what I can to cheer him up. It hardly ever works though; I kinda over do it and end up making him mad instead." On the one hand, his young master is trying to desperately to keep her out of his dark world. On the other hand, the Lady Elizabeth is forcefully trying to bring him out. Ah yes, the relationship between these is quite the pitiful.

He kneeled before and spoke, "I am certain that young master_ always_ considers your concern for him." He added encouragingly, and the Lady Elizabeth gladly gave him genuine smile. After all, what kinda of butler would he be if he couldn't bring a smile to his master's future wife's face.

She giggled before continuing, "Thanks; you're so nice Sebastian. But to tell you the truth," Again, the lady beside captured his attention, "...I'm really jealous of you." He looked at her with a small mixture of shock and curiosity spilled on his face. He smuggled a small smirk, and gave her a smile of confusion.

"And why would_ you_ be a jealous of a humble servant like _me?" _He asked. She had her head down, and set a rather dejected smile.

"Because...fair...it's...not..." After not being able to hear her, Sebastian kindly asked her to speak up.

"It's not fair..." the Lady Elizabeth said softly. He titled his head to the side; just what on earth was she rambling about? "You're so close to him. He always seems comfortable when he talks to you. He never has to force any expression on himself, and...he's more... open with you...about everything." So that is what this was about. The demon forgot how emotionally fragile _humans_ are, so he sighed, stood, and offered a nervous smile; if he said something wrong, he'll never hear the end of it from that brat of a master.

"I suppose it is because I am forced to listen more than to speak, but I assure it does not mean anything." The girl shook her head at his statement, and began to tense up. Sebastian never thought he would engage in an actual conversation with someone like _her_, and someway or another, he was getting more and more interested.

"It's because...Ciel trusts you...because he...you were the one that saved him, "By this point he noticed that the blonde girl's fist were shaking at her side. "You were the only one that heard him...you...and what was I doing? I was crying in my room and praying to someone who doesn't even exist- day after day, hoping that one day he would return to me, and he did. It wasn't because of some miracle that he return; no, it was, because he ordered you to do so. Ciel...he...he...did the unimaginable...he..." She stopped to hold back the threatening tears. "And since then, all I've ever did was make things harder for him everyday. All the time...I'm always crying, and he's the one who deserves to cry not me."

_'A crying of loneliness, despair, and the reliance on the obvious false hope to keep her going. Truly a soul worth make one hell of a feast out, but 'tis a shame. The young master screams harder and cries louder'_

_"_It is true that young master has had a rough past, but he cannot simply cry, and that is a reason why he desperately needs you. Whether he wants to admit or not, you are of extreme value to him. I do not know what would become of him if you were gone." She began to ramble something incoherent after that, and held his small smile until she said something that made him drop his whole facade.

"Those 'accidents' you had were not yours. They were Finnian's, Meirin's, and Bardroy's. Humans will never reach the level of perfection, yes we say we do, because we give up on the level that has reached our satisfaction. However, you...you are in every essence perfect." The Lady Elizabeth dropped to her knees and looked up; instead of a fierce determined look, Sebastian saw nothing but _hopelessness_ in every inch of her. He restrained himself from gently tracing her facial features, and held his hands behind his back. The demon smelled it- her soul that is. It wasn't exactly where his standards were, much like raw dough. He would've needed to shape and bake it into 'perfection', before he could consume it. The idea of two contracts at once set a quick smirk upon his face.

"It's because of your perfection, it is _you_ will bring Ciel happiness not _me_. Because that bond that the two of you share, the bond I so despairingly want to have with him...I can't...I just can't." He continued to look down on her; his face was plain, yet his eyes screamed curisoity.

Sebastian, cutting her off, said "And what makes the Lady Elizabeth that I will bring such 'happiness' to the young master?" The green-eyed girl gave merely gave him a simple, yet drastically sorrowful smile.

"Because if the King moves his pieces around so carefully, even the knight can become the 'queen'. I have failed not only him as a potential wife, but as piece too; I have lost a game before I was even considered the 'queen'. No...I was never the queen to begin with...I'm just a mislabeled pawn that will eventually die by his or your hands...the hands of such a cold yet obediently nice demon butler." His lips formed a straight line, his eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes were narrowed. No...it was not possible. It was not possible that a mere fourteen year old girl possibly knew that he was...well out of this world? When she claimed her conclusion, the young girl began sob in place. Oh yes, the love life of these two small humans was comically pitiful. The lips of the demon transformed into a sickening smirk; perhaps some entertainment was due on his part. Restoring his facade again, Sebastian spoke once again.

"What a pity," Lady Elizabeth looked up at him again with confusion, "To think someone like the young master has the magnificent privilege to be your fiancee." He shook his head to add on to his act and continued, "Honestly, what kind of person would make such a beautiful lady cry?" He spotted the faintest of blush on the now standing Lady Elizabeth's face. Sebastian smirked on the inside, but kept his act nonetheless.

"Sebastian...?" The girl murmured.

"It is rather painfully evident that you can do better-_ much_ better. An attractive lady such as yourself deserves someone with more worth." He combed through his hair in a rather sensual way; perfectly messy enough to compliment the lust in his eyes and the smirk on his lips. As he approached her, the Lady Elizabeth moved back a step and could not form any words to stop him. Sebastian even began to strip of his coat, and threw it on the ground with such carelessness. He proceeded to touch her face, but she quickly looked away.

"Um...Ciel is the only man-"

Sebastian snorted, "Man? Excuse my rudeness, but though he acts like it, the young master is not a 'man'. You deserve a real gentleman, not a _child_ who is nice to you, because he feels it is his duty to please you. And even better, why not an immortal man who is right in front of you." The demon kept advancing on her, making sure she would back into the large tree; then, he'd have his prey trapped and ready to _eat._

"But...you...why?" Her eyes began to widen as he stepped closer, the demon noted. Humans were such insecure creatures, that even the slightest of compliments would set them on fire. The thought _of that brat_ watching him as he proceeded to take the virginity of his precious 'pure' cousin made Sebastian release a dark chuckle. He had to admit though, the Lady Elizabeth was beautiful for an English lady. However, he just wished she'd become more...'seductive'; a sinner if one would place it.

The tall man finally backed her up into so said tree, and spoke, "While it is true that I, as a demon, do not love per say, I do, however, _lust_ over the _sexiest_ of preys with the _bonniest_ of figures." His voice was dangerously low, and husky. The blonde girl furiously shook her head, and even began to tear up, as he pinned her arms over her head with hand, and covered her mouth with the other. Sebastian felt her struggle, as she tried to set herself free, but honestly, whether she was daughter of the leader of a bunch of knights or not, what tiny human could have the power to fight off a _demon_ like him? A bigger smirk set across his face; what fun he was going to have.

He leaned in and whispered, "_Breathe in this sweet poison..._"

_Bang!_

At the sound of the gun shot, Sebastian's face went straight, and he hid a scowl. He stood, released her, and saw as the Lady Elizabeth slid to the ground. The green-eyed girl was completely shaking and crying; he loved seeing her in such a vulnerable state. Every time she cried, he had to resist himself from killing her and taking her soul right on the spot. It didn't matter, there was always another time for that.

"Five-Four; the competition seems to be in full swing. We should go and cheer." He looked over to the bushes where he thought he saw...no it was just another prey waiting to be shot. He glanced over backed to Lady Elizabeth, let out a small sigh, and set a 'frown'. "It appears that we will have to save our little fun time until next time." He bent down and offered her a hand; however, she shook her head and moved - _tried_ to anyway- away from him as much a possible. The young girl began to stutter- saying something that she had a dagger of some sort, and that it was okay for him to go ahead. The demon began to reason, but the lady would refuse his offer.

He sighed once again, and spoke, "If that it was the lady wishes, then I am in no position to refuse that. Try not to stay too behind, or you'll be mistaken for prey." He turned away, and began to walk away; he heard the sigh of relief coming from her, but ignored it and continued to walk. The tall man smirked boldly and pridefully; he had never been so entertained in his life- except for that one time, but 'tis not the point. He couldn't wait until she screamed in his name in pleasure, until he took away her 'innocence', until he got to see the horrid expression on his _young master's_ face when yet again someone was taken from him. The breakdown it would have on his on soul, the nightmares he would have- it was going to be one _hell_ of soul he would devour.

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><p>When the Marchioness left home (insisting the Lady Elizabeth stay over) , his young master automatically requested a hot bath. Now, once done with his bath, he dressed him for bed, and was serving him his nightly tea.<p>

"Hey...Sebastian," So said butler turned around, but did not expect the extremely hot liquid (with the cup) splash against his face, and a double smack across the face- specifically the ringed hand. After recovering from the small attack, the tall man turned to his young master with a slight expression of shock.

"Young master...?"

"Bastard...you bastard...You. Bloody. Fucking. Reeking. Dumb-arse!" He met the foul glare of his young master, and all it's rage. Sure, he had seen completely him at his worst, but somehow never like this. "How dare you...How fucking dare you?" If he continue to scream like this, he would wake up his prey.

"Young master, perhaps it would be wise not to yell at this time of night, you are going to-"

"Don't tell me what the hell to do! What idiotic sense gave you the right to think that I wouldn't be yelling at you right now?" Sebastian _felt_ the heat and anger the boy in front of him gave off. Under normal circumstances, he could care less that some angry British child was yelling at him, but if he wanted to consume so said boy's soul, he would have to pretend like he did, and act innocent.

"My lord if you could clarify-"

Now standing, the young master grabbed his fringes and forced him on the floor, "Drop the charades Sebastian! What kind of fool do you take me for? Did you honestly think I wouldn't fucking know that you nearly tried to rape **my** _fiancee_! Explain your bloody self!" Ah, so the 'animal' he saw in the bushes was actually his young master; he would've figured.

_'He shot the nearest thing, not caring if it hit or not, just to distract me from eating my prey.'_

"M'lord, a gentleman does curse at such an hour, but if you truly want this butler's opinion, I do not see why it should concern you so much. At the least you know that the Lady Eli-"

"Don't you even say her name you sickening moron!" What a temper this child had, but nevertheless continued what he was saying.

"As I was saying, at the least you know that you have your _fiancee's_ complete loyalty in your hands." He offered simply, yet earned himself another smack to the face. His young master walked past him towards the window, touching it slowly with his hand.

"You didn't answer my question. Why the hell did you think you would have consent to touch Elizabeth? Do not lie to me you filthy bastard, I have no patience to even see your face." The demon sighed; if he didn't answer soon, his young master would go off on another rant.

"Truth be told, my lord, I considered it to be an interesting experiment that had ended up proving positive results on your side of the case." Sebastian didn't face him, but watched his master through his peripheral vision. His lord's fists were shaking by his side, and he heard the gritting of his teeth. He was scolding him harshly; saying his love life was not for amusement.

'_Perfect,"_ He began to think, _'His soul is breaking more, but I do not want it to get too sour. It's important the Lady Elizabeth stays in good health for that boy's soul relies on her whether he knows it or not. My, my...how interesting things have gotten so far.'_ The demon smirked, but it quickly faded when his young master returned in front of him. The blue eyed boy removed his eye patch, and the contract mark glowed.

"This is an eternal order; you will follow it even after my death: You Sebastian Michaelis, head of the Phantomhive Butlers, shall never _ever_ touch _my_ fiancee, Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford Phantomhive. And you shall never make a contract with her no matter how much she so damn desires or _you_ feel the need to do so." His glare was cold, and his voice colder. Sebastian kneeled, raised his hand to his chest, and spoke.

"Yes, my lord."

"Have Maylene bring me Elizabeth. Other than that, leave!" The tall man nodded as he watched his little lord climb into bed, and began to read; waiting for his maiden. He left his room, and went to look for the maid.

_"This was more amusing than I thought it would be."_

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><p>TO explain Ciel: he may have overreacted, because first off it's Elizabeth. Secondly, he didn't think Sebastian would try to do that.<p>

To explain Sebastian: Heh, if you're going be serving a brat like Ciel, might as well have some fun right? /shot


	2. A Letter From the Queen

**Author's note: **At first I was just going to make this a one-shot, but I've decided to continue on because of one particular review. Originally, I planned to have a lesbian OC is complete crazy for Elizabeth (like in love crazy), thus making her an enemy of Ciel (because I've seen too many vice versa, and they usually end up with Ciel saying in the second chapter "I love you". It makes me want to flip a table. But, eh, whatever; they'll write what their little hearts desire.) This OC is also connected to- ah! I said too much already. Also the there's a title change, as you may have noticed. Oh, and, this my first OC!

**Chapter 2: **_A Letter From the Queen_

**Rating:** T, just because there is nothing K or K+ about this.

**Side note: **OC is thrown in. Also, I'm diving my way in slowly. This chapter is going to start normally, but it'll eventually get darker.

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><p>'A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling<p>

My beautiful Annabel Lee;

_He couldn't see anything. No, that wasn't it; his eyes were closed, and for some reason there was an incredible pain in his leg. When the Earl opened his eyes, he saw the blood coming out of leg- the source of the pain. When he looked up, he saw the doll on the cold wet ground; the shadows of what looked like monsters hovered over her. He tried to shoot them all down, but only managed to get one with his remaining bullet._

So that her highborn kinsman came

_Instead of only his leg prohibiting him to stand, it now felt like dozens of chains holding him back, and hands forcing him to watch the scene in front of him. Hands that had abuse him, defile him, and humiliated him._

And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulchre

_The little lord tried screaming, but nothing came out of his mouth. All he could do was shake his head furiously, and beg whatever force that had not forsaken him to save her. He felt the vomit in his mouth as the monsters made contact with the doll's skin..._

In this kingdom by the sea.'

...

The Lord Phantomhive awoke abruptly from his nightmare, and went into a deeper panic when he realized that a certain lady was not by his side. He heard the light _ting_ a cup made when it made contact with a small plate. Almost to quickly, the young lord snapped his head to his butler, and rage boiled his blood; he still remembered the incident of yesterday.

"Sebastian! I thought I ordered you to tell Maylene to bring me Elizabeth." So said butler turned around, and cocked his head to the side. He stated that he never sent out such an order. However, this angered Ciel more; what was Sebastian talking about 'never sending out that order'? He proceeded to 'remind' the demon about incident, and nearly choked doing so, but regained his posture after mentioning the smack he gave the butler. After handing him his tea, tall man cocked his to the side once more; he suggested that his master had a fever and was hallucinating, because he wouldn't dare to do such a thing to his master's fiancee. Ciel grasped the tea cup harder, and saw his reflection within the flavored water. Regardless of the butler's comment, he still gave the order from his hellish dream.

_'So it was dream, huh?'_ He let out a small sigh of relief at his conclusion. _'However that doesn't mean others won't try to do the same thing.'_ He slowly drank his tea at this thought.

"Perhaps the young master cares for the Lady Elizabeth so much he is becoming paranoid." And there went Sebastian with his smile that only brought complete annoyance to Ciel. He heard his butler sigh as he found a book by the nightstand; he complained that he was reading too much Poe before sleeping, and thus was causing all these nightmares.

"Tch, shut up you bastard. Where's Lizzy?" Even if what his butler said was true, doubt lingered in the young boy's mind and he couldn't help but ask. Without looking up from buttoning his shirt, Sebastian replied saying she was being awaken right now, and her maid would give her a bath. Ciel sighed once more; what an odd nightmare that was.

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><p>After he finished getting dressed, Ciel headed downstairs to eat breakfast. Not even ten minutes into his eating, he heard several plates crash, the kitchen blow up, and many trees falling down. The tiny lord sighed angrily, and rubbed his temples; he was about to order Sebastian to fix their mess when his fiancee enter the room with her maid who exchanged her own greetings with Sebastian. However, something felt off about the blonde girl causing him raise an eyebrow in her direction.<p>

"Good morning Ciel! Good morning Sebastian! Did you sleep well?" He cringed at how perky Elizabeth could be in the morning; meanwhile he was fighting to stay awake. Nevertheless, he returned _her_ greeting, and only cached bits and pieces of what Sebastian said for he was too busy analyzing the girl. Lord Phantomhive watched as she asked Sebastian what would he be serving for breakfast. Ciel narrowed his eyes at the sight; the nightmare was creeping up on him dangerously.

"Say Elizabeth, you seem...different somehow..." The blue eyed boy managed to choke out. Yet, by simply voicing his opinion he caused her to blush a rather deep shade of red. She kept muttering incoherent words to Paula -was it?- whilst stroking her hair.

_'She changed her hairstyle is that it?' _Instead of her ponytails, she had two neat buns that mirrored each other, and the rest of her hair was set lose and straight. Her bangs were still the same, so it wasn't a whole big deal. Good grief, she looked even more childish with that hairdo; however, he _supposed_ it didn't look bad on her.

So said girl kept blushing, and spoke, "W-well I-I thought it w-w-was time for a ch-change. Do y-you l-l-like it?" When the girl raised her head to look at him, he quickly looked to the side to hide his blush. Murmuring curses about how it was just hair, and it was nothing important. Nonetheless, after receiving a slight nudge from his butler, he looked back at Elizabeth and answered her question.

"Don't worry about it, you look fine." Apparently, giving her his opinion made her whole face turned incredibly red. Now that he looked at her more closely, her buns somewhat resembled small cupcakes. The young lord would have his demon butler prepare it for him later.

_'And wouldn't you just love to eat her?' _Whatever tea was in his mouth, suddenly got spit out; Ciel began cough as his face started to blush deeply. Despite the concerns of both Sebastian and Elizabeth, he ignored them and said he was fine. What- or more like how the hell did that thought enter his mind?

_'Don't ignore it. Do you honestly believe the lie she said, "I thought it was time for a change".' _The boy stopped chewing, looked at his cousin, re-chewed his food, and focused his attention on the blonde girl a seat down from him. _'You never pay attention to her, it's no wonder she's trying to seduce you.' _Without him knowing, Elizabeth caught his stare; it was only when she asked him if he was okay that he snapped back to reality. He opened his mouth to say something, but he quickly closed it, and simply nodded. Ciel leaned on his hand, and absent mindedly stared at Elizabeth. He could just feel his pulse racing which greatly irritated him. Ciel shook his head; he was Her Majesty's watchdog he didn't have the time for affection. Suddenly the door slammed open, and the young lord felt a vein pop.

"Good morning Earl!" Just what he needed, the Chinese opium dealer to randomly barge into his home. Maybe if he closed his eyes, breathed, and re-opened them he would disappear...no he's still there. Damn.

Not wanting him to stay longer, Ciel cut straight to the point, "What do you want Lau?" He drank his tea, and waited from his respond.

"Cold as always I see. I came here, because I picked up your mail, dear watchdog." The young lord rolled his eyes, but just widened them as quickly when he saw the letter was from the queen. It's not as if he were surprised to see one -it was his job after all- but it was just in front of Elizabeth. She knew of his job, of course; however, it wasn't as if it were going to be common talk between the two. His job was one of the few things best left un-discussed between the two. Just as he wasn't to mention her fencing skills; it wasn't his fault one of the suspects was her fencing opponent. Really, so much between them was annoyingly difficult.

Somehow, his cousin acknowledged it was 'that time' again, she stopped eating, and made an excuse to leave; she rushed out the door with her maid. He sighed in relief for the second time that day; two times too many for his like. Ciel also heard his butler murmuring something along the lines _'So that's where it went'_, and proceeded to take the letter from Lau's hand. After scanning over it quickly, he handed it over to his waiting master, and temporarily left the room.

_"To My Cute Little Boy,_

_How are you? Did you pass New Year's enjoyably? I made a Christmas pudding with my Philip. It was a grand thing, and even John and Grey praised it. Next time you'll try it, won't you? In any case, this time I want you to investigate a small little toy factory in eastern London. There has been an ever so increase in changes in the girls who have brought their Matryoshka dolls. They become still doll like creatures themselves; they don't eat, sleep, not even a smile reaches their faces. Really now, how could such a cute harmless toy be so dangerous. It's as if their very being has been taken away from them. The government is also searching to the utmost of it's abilities, but whether or not they can change the girls back is beyond their reach. I am asking you to put an end to this as quickly as possible._

_Your Queen,_

_Victoria"_

"The company's name translates into _'__Mother Russia's Toy Village'._" He lifted his head to where Lau sat with that girl on his lap; honestly, how could anyone eat like that.

"I see you've done your research." Ciel retorted back.

"Well of course, I did; after all, there's a small private branch that I do business with. They buy my opium, and sell it back in Russia for an even higher price. They ripoff their own people," He let out a small chuckle. "How traitorous, don't you think?" And so, the Chinese man let out a sly smirk as if he knew something, but wouldn't tell the young lord on purpose. Ciel absolutely hated that expression more than Sebastian's simple 'smile'.

"As well," So said butler appeared once again, "The company has been around a little bit more than your predecessors' birth, young master. It was founded by Vladimir Zvyozdochkin, and it's current head is Earl Vasily Zvyozdochkin. He is married to Countess Valentina Zvyozdochkin with two children: the eldest son Lord Dimitri Zvyozdochkin and the youngest daughter Lady Anastasiya Zvyozdochkin; all born in Russia, but reside here in Great Britain. It appears that the late Reznov was a friend of the late Earl Phantomhive's predecessor."

"Grandfather?" The little lord muttered mainly to himself.

Sebastian nodded, and continued. "Correct, young master. However, he cut ties with the Funtom Company when your predecessor became head of the business. His current successor, Earl Vasily, crafted the first matryshoka doll nine years ago. However, the disappearances have been happening for a little over a month now. All relating to the little Russian doll." He finished while taking away his master's now cold scones and eggs.

"I see...your queen put her trust into the government. However, they failed her miserably, and now she's dumped her dirty laundry on her _dog_ once again, isn't that right?" The one-eyed boy faced Lau with a look disgust, irritation, and then a lack of care. He commented that it didn't bother him in the slightest; it was his duty, and that was that. Ciel order Sebastian to gather as much information as possible (investigate the company and what not) within a two hour and half limit. The demon replied with his usual line, and disappeared in a flash.

"And what are you going to do in the meanwhile?" Ciel stood and sighed; judging by the pictures, they all looked around Elizabeth's age, and that meant she herself could be kidnapped. He narrowed at his eyes at nothing in particular as the knot in his stomach tightened; he felt sick. Honestly, why would anyone think about hurting her? All she wanted was to bring him happiness, or whatever she usually went off about. True, she got hard to manage sometimes, but he personally knew she wasn't a bad person. His grip on the chair became harder; no matter what the situation, he would definately protect her. He _bloody _swore it.

"I'm going to do what I always do: work on_ my_ company while looking over whatever information the-"

"You had a nightmare about your fiancee, didn't you?" Lau butted in, not that Ciel was surprised, but what he said caught his attention. Before he could say anything, the Opium dealer cut him off again, "You kept eyeing her as if she were prey. You even sent a glare or two at the butler when he opened the door for her to leave." He chuckled sightly, and by rubbed Ran-Mao's thigh; he continued, "Well, what was this dream about, my dear Earl." The same know-it-all smile appeared once again on his face, and it irritated the young lord. He would have to have Sebastian watch him more carefully.

"What are you planning Lau?" Ciel narrowed his eyes at Lau's closed one. He searched for the slightest of movements - a twitch even- however he saw nothing. Instead, the smile grew wider in size as he kept patting the girl in his lap as if she were some sort of pet.

"Nothing but curiosity. So tell me, what happened?" The young lord narrowed his eyes once, and released an annoyed 'tch'. He got out of his seat, and walked to the stairs; Lau walking right behind. Why was he so suddenly interested in his love life? He rarely even talked to Lizzie -that he knew of- so he didn't see the need for him to be so worked about his 'dream.

"Why don't you just keep your 'curiosity' out of my life, and mind your own damn business." With that alone, the blue-eyed boy walked up the stairs, and disappeared from the mafia member's sight. So said man first put a mock expression of shock, and then a large smirk was painted so heavily on his lips. Lau walked to the window next to the front door, and stared out at the grey blankets that covered the skies of England.

"Hmm? It looks like a storm is coming soon. However, the question is: how will you survive this one, Earl Phantomhive? If you survive at all, that is. Or will someone else perish instead? I wonder..."

* * *

><p>"Oh Paula, aren't these dresses we brought simply adorable? I'm sure Sir Phipps will notice you even <em>more<em> now!" Her maid nodded her in matching enthusiasm- that is, until she heard her mistress' last sentence. At that, she completely turned red within in seconds and shook her head rapidly.

"M-my lady! For you to say such a thing is-"

"Oh now, come of it Paula! I see the way you look at each whenever Brother or I have a tournament, it's absolutely adorable!" When the young lady said, Paula blushed even more now.

"Honestly, he's the her majesty's butler. I am but a simple maid." She admitted sadly; it was the truth, and she knew it. However, she was surprised when her young lady grabbed her hands at random, and put her face incredibly close to hers.

"That's not true! That's not true at all! Paula is very beautiful, a lot fun to be with, and Sir Charles should be grateful he even has the honor of knowing you!" The girl was too sweet to her, and the couldn't help but pulling her into a hug. She knew it was okay to do so, because the Lady Elizabeth saw her as a true friend, and for that Paula was happy enough.

So said maid bowed to the young girl in front of her, "Really now, for you to flatter me so. I'm humbly honored, my lady." Her mistress chastised, because she wasn't flattering her; instead, she was stating the obvious truth that everyone should know. Again, the brown eyed maid blushed, and continued to follow the blonde girl throughout the streets. However, upon their walk, there was another girl who had appeared to be confused. Noticing this quickly, Elizabeth approached her to see if she could help her.

"Say, miss, are you lost?" When the confused girl turned to face Elizabeth, so said girl blushed. The girl in front of her was absolutely beautiful. She had pale porcelain skin,short curly platinum blonde hair, and the lightest blue eyes she could ever see; something that would only imagine. They didn't surpass Ciel's eyes (no one could), but at the current moment, she was too hypnotized by this girl's appearance. Truly, such a beautiful creature.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry to trouble you," And her voice was that of a child, how adorable! "But it seems that I can't find this address. Would it be too much for me to ask for help?" Ah! The pale girl was blushing now, and Elizabeth's 'cute radar' went flying.

_'This is girl is too cute! I must befriend her right away!'_

"O-of course it's not! We'd be more than happy to help you, right Paula." The maid rang her bells in agreement, "Come, let me see the address. Oh! This place isn't too far; in fact, it's on our path. Let's go!" Elizabeth quickly grabbed the girl's hand, and rushed to the nearest cab; Paula hurrying behind as to not lose her like last time. Once in the cab, the green eyed girl had so may questions to ask her. Suddenly, she had the urge to hit herself upside the head; how could she forget her manners.

"Forgive me, please. My name is Elizabeth Middleford. And you are?" Her eyes were wide with anticipation. The short hair girl in front of her gave her a simple smile; her eyes soft and welcoming causing watchdog's fiancee to blush lightly.

"My name? My name is Anastasiya Zvyozdochkin. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss. Elizabeth."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: And there you have it. Please review.<strong>


	3. Authors Note

**Author's note: For those of you who care, I am sorry to say but I'm canceling the story, because I lost inspiration. However, I am currently writing a new story so please stay tooned.**


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